What exactly is the Timeline and how can it be used?

Here's another item for possible inclusion in the glossary: What is the Timeline and how can it be used?

The Activity Timeline module states only this:

"Users can enter updates and log activity to their Timeline"

But where will the timeline be shown? And how can Admin control what goes into a timeline of a particular Quota (i.e. location or functional area of a network)?

For example, if I am using a Quota for forums related to editing, I would like to control the timeline that appears alongside those forums. I want that timeline to show all activity related to the use of the editing forums, by any followers who follow the "Editing profile" created for that location in the network.

My impression at the moment is that the timeline is linked to each user and the same timeline may appear on all that users profiles. So if a user posts a message in the Editing forums, that activity will not appear in a timeline next to the forums, but next to the profile of the user.

i.e. the Activity Timeline system is user centered.

Is there any simple way to set up a location centered Timeline, to display the activity of all users who are active in that location?


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PJ Matthews, Kyoto
Migrated from Ning 2.0. Now at Jamroom 6 beta and using Jamroom Hosting for The Research Cooperative (researchcooperative.org)
updated by @researchcooperative: 04/28/15 05:25:59PM

https://www.jamroom.net/the-jamroom-network/documentation/getting-started/2568/glossary

If your wanting to get a list of something related to the forums, my first thought is that you're wanting with some search parameters. You'll probably want to use the template="some_custom_layout.tpl" to layout the structure your wanting the retrieved data to be formatted in.

"{jrCore_list}"
http://www.jamroom.net/the-jamroom-network/documentation/development/89/jrcore-list

Thanks, that clarifies the matter.

I will start by seeing what I can do with judicious selection of which quotas include a timeline, so that unrelated activities are at least excluded.

I wonder how other jamroom sites use the existing Timeline module.

Maybe I should report the activities of specific forums using RSS feeds that display on the top page, and deactivate Timeline module for those forums.

This is not exactly what I was intending, but might actually be a better goal.


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PJ Matthews, Kyoto
Migrated from Ning 2.0. Now at Jamroom 6 beta and using Jamroom Hosting for The Research Cooperative (researchcooperative.org)

Look at my timeline here:

https://www.jamroom.net/brian/action

users that "follow" me will see my timeline entries when viewing their profile timeline (while visitors to their page will only see timeline entries for the profile owner).

This is a handy way for a user to log in and see what the profiles they follow have been up to.

It is modeled on Twitter and works very similar. What would you use Twitter for?

Hope this helps!


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Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net